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The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning -- And How To Help Them Thrive Again
360 pages, Paperback
Published December 3, 2025
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1112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 12, 2025
In the MAKE IT MAKE SENSE Era, here's the book that does!
If you've ever asked questions about EdTech or your own attention, The Digital Delusion reads like a relief and a rallying cry. Essentially: If you can read it, you can change things for the better, starting right now.
The genius of this book is the genius of coherence and in some ways the genius of the obvious: Collectively, we got distracted by information overload. And when you're distracted you're vulnerable, you're overwhelmed, and it’s easy to lose track….
But Dr. Horvath (cognitive neuroscientist, educator, writer) cuts through the noise, throws FOMO in the back seat and drives home the huge breadth of what we know about how humans learn best, backed up by brain science and history; paired with critical insights and practical actions. It's an expertly structured exit from DeLuluville—and makes a compelling case that it's time to get out.... while we still can.
Educators, parents, technologists and policy makers have huge roles to play here (and the how-to is included). This is all information that students/kids deserve to know as well.
Dr. Horvath delivers light friction (reading!) for a great payoff: Renewed clarity and purpose with the ability to communicate how students/our kids learn best—and why. In sum: It’s a prescription for sanity and human flourishing that people across the political spectrum can get behind.
*Spoiler alert*: The Rx is not gamification. It's not a cheap app. And it's not AI. It's all relational and deeply human. And it will make people's whole lives—not just classrooms—better if we can get there.
[Note that this book is a tuning fork for awareness to marketing messages and false-promises. It may cause instances of sudden alertness and strokes of insight.]
Good to know: There are 3 practical "Toolkit" sections for Parents, Teachers, and Leaders that have checklists, frameworks, samples, alternatives, etc. The book is 267 pages (with an additional reference section totaling 333 pages), but it's a fast read.
JCH studies pedagogy and presentation: He nails the topic with expertise, wit and a distinctive voice. There's a lot here, it's all fascinating, and none of it is filler.
Save humanity and pass it on!
2 Writing Samples from Sidebars:
"What's at Stake - The purpose of education is to prepare kids for an ever-changing world--to build skills they can carry into new and unpredictable situations. Digital learning delivers the opposite. It flattens experience, making knowledge harder to recall and apply outside the device. Our children need real-world learning that transfers. If they're never taught to think beyond the screen, they'll forever remain trapped inside it." p. 52
"Prove It - When someone claims that EdTech has 'potential', don't argue with their beliefs--ask for their data. Potential is not a plan. If a tool truly works, there should be clear, independently verifiable results to prove it. If that data doesn't exist, then it's not a viable solution. It's merely a sales-pitch and it doesn't belong in our children's classrooms." p. 68
If you've ever asked questions about EdTech or your own attention, The Digital Delusion reads like a relief and a rallying cry. Essentially: If you can read it, you can change things for the better, starting right now.
The genius of this book is the genius of coherence and in some ways the genius of the obvious: Collectively, we got distracted by information overload. And when you're distracted you're vulnerable, you're overwhelmed, and it’s easy to lose track….
But Dr. Horvath (cognitive neuroscientist, educator, writer) cuts through the noise, throws FOMO in the back seat and drives home the huge breadth of what we know about how humans learn best, backed up by brain science and history; paired with critical insights and practical actions. It's an expertly structured exit from DeLuluville—and makes a compelling case that it's time to get out.... while we still can.
Educators, parents, technologists and policy makers have huge roles to play here (and the how-to is included). This is all information that students/kids deserve to know as well.
Dr. Horvath delivers light friction (reading!) for a great payoff: Renewed clarity and purpose with the ability to communicate how students/our kids learn best—and why. In sum: It’s a prescription for sanity and human flourishing that people across the political spectrum can get behind.
*Spoiler alert*: The Rx is not gamification. It's not a cheap app. And it's not AI. It's all relational and deeply human. And it will make people's whole lives—not just classrooms—better if we can get there.
[Note that this book is a tuning fork for awareness to marketing messages and false-promises. It may cause instances of sudden alertness and strokes of insight.]
Good to know: There are 3 practical "Toolkit" sections for Parents, Teachers, and Leaders that have checklists, frameworks, samples, alternatives, etc. The book is 267 pages (with an additional reference section totaling 333 pages), but it's a fast read.
JCH studies pedagogy and presentation: He nails the topic with expertise, wit and a distinctive voice. There's a lot here, it's all fascinating, and none of it is filler.
Save humanity and pass it on!
2 Writing Samples from Sidebars:
"What's at Stake - The purpose of education is to prepare kids for an ever-changing world--to build skills they can carry into new and unpredictable situations. Digital learning delivers the opposite. It flattens experience, making knowledge harder to recall and apply outside the device. Our children need real-world learning that transfers. If they're never taught to think beyond the screen, they'll forever remain trapped inside it." p. 52
"Prove It - When someone claims that EdTech has 'potential', don't argue with their beliefs--ask for their data. Potential is not a plan. If a tool truly works, there should be clear, independently verifiable results to prove it. If that data doesn't exist, then it's not a viable solution. It's merely a sales-pitch and it doesn't belong in our children's classrooms." p. 68
Read
January 5, 2026Bravo! If I had to distill my reaction to The Digital Delusion into a single line, it would be this: finally, an education book that actually says the quiet parts out loud—and backs them with coherent thought instead of tech-evangelist glitter.
This is, without hyperbole, one of the most incisive examinations of the modern classroom I’ve ever encountered. It’s as though the author took every half-formed instinct educators have whispered in faculty lounges—Kids aren’t actually learning better with more screens, the data dashboards are running us instead of the other way around, this isn’t innovation, it’s distraction with a marketing budget—and unfolded those instincts into a rigorous, elegantly argued narrative.
This is, without hyperbole, one of the most incisive examinations of the modern classroom I’ve ever encountered. It’s as though the author took every half-formed instinct educators have whispered in faculty lounges—Kids aren’t actually learning better with more screens, the data dashboards are running us instead of the other way around, this isn’t innovation, it’s distraction with a marketing budget—and unfolded those instincts into a rigorous, elegantly argued narrative.
January 22, 2026
What a powerful and challenging read! In Horvath's conclusion he says; "This was never a book about rejecting technology; it was about reclaiming education as a deeply meaningful and human endeavor. It wasn't about moving away from screens; it was about reorienting toward deep thought and true understanding. It wasn't about scrapping devices; it was about reclaiming rigor."
This book has given caused me to stop and consider; what really is best for our students in today's classrooms.
This book has given caused me to stop and consider; what really is best for our students in today's classrooms.
December 23, 2025
An important book for every educator!
I will admit, when ChatGPT first emerged I was an advocate for bringing it into the classroom. I believed it was our duty as educators to teach students how to use it because it was "inevitable" and "necessary" for their future. I believed it was a signal to teachers that we had to (nay, had the opportunity to) get more creative with the ways we assessed our students. It didn't take long for me to change my mind.
I plan on recommending this book to the administration at my school. In staff meetings, team planning, and PLCs we have discussed at length how to address the fragmented attention spans, rapidly decreasing frustration tolerance, lack of foundational skills, and decreased confidence to little avail. Horvath not only uses research and concrete evidence to explain how technology has harmed student learning, but he provides action steps with reproducible tool kits that all stakeholders can use to start fixing the problems.
I will admit, when ChatGPT first emerged I was an advocate for bringing it into the classroom. I believed it was our duty as educators to teach students how to use it because it was "inevitable" and "necessary" for their future. I believed it was a signal to teachers that we had to (nay, had the opportunity to) get more creative with the ways we assessed our students. It didn't take long for me to change my mind.
I plan on recommending this book to the administration at my school. In staff meetings, team planning, and PLCs we have discussed at length how to address the fragmented attention spans, rapidly decreasing frustration tolerance, lack of foundational skills, and decreased confidence to little avail. Horvath not only uses research and concrete evidence to explain how technology has harmed student learning, but he provides action steps with reproducible tool kits that all stakeholders can use to start fixing the problems.
January 26, 2026
3.5 stars. Sensationalist writing, lack of clarity around the definition of EdTech, and issues of causation vs causality got in the way of what might otherwise be solid arguments.
February 5, 2026
4.5 🍎 succinct and timely, a data-driven call for closer analyzing of any tech welcomed into our classrooms.
December 24, 2025
Devoured this in three days. Might be the most important work in education in the last decade. Read it, then buy a copy for your head of school / principal and give to them. Then recommend it to all the parents you can.
January 27, 2026
I was looking forward to read this book because it touches on some really important issues, but I was unable to finish it because of the constant use of 'it's not this... it's this...'
Here are just a few examples from the first 11 pages alone:
"Our mistake wasn't in trusting schools or teachers. It was in trusting the seductive promises."
"Schools may not be perfect - but they aren't broken"
"Creativity isn't the opposite of knowledge - rather, it emerges from it"
"Their stories fell flat; not because they lacked creativity, but because they lacked knowledge"
"The real danger isn't that schools are broken. It's that we've been persuaded that they are"
"It's not the technology that makes the difference; it's the pedagogy"
"Unnecessary audiovisual elements often interfere with understanding rather than deepen it"
"The multi-media didn't enhance the lesson; it completely misdirected it"
"If our goal is deep, durable learning, then our time, energy and resources are better spent improving teaching - not upgrading multimedia."
I was also distracted by phrases like "Repetition without scrutiny is how a myth becomes a mandate" which felt quite vague, meaningless and I hate to say it... like something ChatGPT would come up with.
I could be wrong. I'm also not completely against using AI - I use it myself when I have writer's block or I'm struggling to make sense of something complex. But when I buy a book (especially one from a doctor writing about the dangers of technology in education), I'd like to think I'm reading genuine insights from an expert's brain rather than something thrown together by an LLM. And unfortunately, I couldn't trust that was the case here.
Here are just a few examples from the first 11 pages alone:
"Our mistake wasn't in trusting schools or teachers. It was in trusting the seductive promises."
"Schools may not be perfect - but they aren't broken"
"Creativity isn't the opposite of knowledge - rather, it emerges from it"
"Their stories fell flat; not because they lacked creativity, but because they lacked knowledge"
"The real danger isn't that schools are broken. It's that we've been persuaded that they are"
"It's not the technology that makes the difference; it's the pedagogy"
"Unnecessary audiovisual elements often interfere with understanding rather than deepen it"
"The multi-media didn't enhance the lesson; it completely misdirected it"
"If our goal is deep, durable learning, then our time, energy and resources are better spent improving teaching - not upgrading multimedia."
I was also distracted by phrases like "Repetition without scrutiny is how a myth becomes a mandate" which felt quite vague, meaningless and I hate to say it... like something ChatGPT would come up with.
I could be wrong. I'm also not completely against using AI - I use it myself when I have writer's block or I'm struggling to make sense of something complex. But when I buy a book (especially one from a doctor writing about the dangers of technology in education), I'd like to think I'm reading genuine insights from an expert's brain rather than something thrown together by an LLM. And unfortunately, I couldn't trust that was the case here.
January 8, 2026
Dr. Horvath opens his book with a deliberately provocative claim: "Our children are less cognitively capable than we were at their age...Generation Z is demonstrably less healthy, less happy, and less cognitively developed than their parents were at the same age" (xv). From my perspective as a teacher with eighteen years of experience, this assertion resonates. The shift has been rapid and unmistakable: students have shorter attention spans, are less inclined toward sustained creative work, and are increasingly absorbed by games and distractions on smartphones and Chromebooks.
One of the book's strengths is its clear and accessible explanation of these trends. Dr. Horvath persuasively examines why cognitive memory is struggling and how ubiquitous digital devices can impede human development, innovation, and creativity. As a result, I have already recommended the book to several colleagues and plan to incorporate more "analog" practices into my own teaching.
That said, the book would benefit from a more in-depth analysis in certain areas. While I appreciated the practical suggestions for returning to note-taking on paper, I would have welcomed a more extensive application of Dr. Horvath's neuroscience expertise to explain in greater detail how and why the brain struggles in device-saturated environments. Additionally, the absence of a chapter on how to directly speak to students feels like a missed opportunity. Students are often interested when they learn about the cognitive and emotional effects of their habits. A chapter translating this research for a student audience, or explaining how to communicate this information to a student audience, would have further strengthened the book's impact.
Grade: B+
One of the book's strengths is its clear and accessible explanation of these trends. Dr. Horvath persuasively examines why cognitive memory is struggling and how ubiquitous digital devices can impede human development, innovation, and creativity. As a result, I have already recommended the book to several colleagues and plan to incorporate more "analog" practices into my own teaching.
That said, the book would benefit from a more in-depth analysis in certain areas. While I appreciated the practical suggestions for returning to note-taking on paper, I would have welcomed a more extensive application of Dr. Horvath's neuroscience expertise to explain in greater detail how and why the brain struggles in device-saturated environments. Additionally, the absence of a chapter on how to directly speak to students feels like a missed opportunity. Students are often interested when they learn about the cognitive and emotional effects of their habits. A chapter translating this research for a student audience, or explaining how to communicate this information to a student audience, would have further strengthened the book's impact.
Grade: B+
January 17, 2026
The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning- And How to Help Them Thrive Again
by Jared Horvath
3 out of 5 stars (rounded up from 2.5)
One-sentence summary: This book is a plea for teachers to start using instructional practices that makes sense and to push away the technology that doesn't.
This book started out absolutely fantastic. I thought for sure I was reading my next five-star read. The author makes some spot-on claims about some of the ed-tech that I have used in my career. It is more of a game than it is a learning tool, or even a tool used for practice. However, throughout the book it became obvious that the author doesn't trust teachers to make those judgement calls as part of their professional lesson planning. Although it IS possible to sit students in front of a program and think they are learning without guidance, I don't actually know of any teachers who do this. About halfway through the book I started to feel offended instead of inspired.
The book became too heavy-handed and one-sided. In the end, this was a persuasive essay that did not need to be developed into a whole book. I would not recommend reading the first 40% of the book to gain background knowledge, then make professional decisions based on what is right for your students. I think the most ironic part of this whole situation is that I bought and read the book on my Kindle.
by Jared Horvath
3 out of 5 stars (rounded up from 2.5)
One-sentence summary: This book is a plea for teachers to start using instructional practices that makes sense and to push away the technology that doesn't.
This book started out absolutely fantastic. I thought for sure I was reading my next five-star read. The author makes some spot-on claims about some of the ed-tech that I have used in my career. It is more of a game than it is a learning tool, or even a tool used for practice. However, throughout the book it became obvious that the author doesn't trust teachers to make those judgement calls as part of their professional lesson planning. Although it IS possible to sit students in front of a program and think they are learning without guidance, I don't actually know of any teachers who do this. About halfway through the book I started to feel offended instead of inspired.
The book became too heavy-handed and one-sided. In the end, this was a persuasive essay that did not need to be developed into a whole book. I would not recommend reading the first 40% of the book to gain background knowledge, then make professional decisions based on what is right for your students. I think the most ironic part of this whole situation is that I bought and read the book on my Kindle.
December 27, 2025
This book is a badly needed beacon of empirical sanity. I've been teaching for nearly decade, and began my career with the very first group of students who had access to smartphones all 4 years of high school. Over that time, I've noticed everything that Dr. Horvath's studies reveal: decreased attention spans, literacy rates, imaginations, memory & recall, executive functions, critical thinking skills, social skills, fine motor skills, self-esteem, curiosity, etc.
While my generation is the first to be poorer than the previous one in modern history, my students' is the first to be less literate, which is completely unacceptable and defies every promise made by the more than $40 billion annual edtech grift. This is a worldwide problem with one clear and destructive culprit, and the dumpster fire that is the internet has only been enflamed by the gasoline that is AI.
The book is made especially for educators, is supported by a depth of quantitative and qualitative data, and includes tools and plans for helping change not just your classroom but your PLC, school, & district. It's been a great success and benefit for the past 1 1/2 years to switch class to physical pencil and paper only for most all assignments, and treat the internet/AI like nuclear energy - helpful under some extremely regulated circumstances, apocalyptic under most others.
While my generation is the first to be poorer than the previous one in modern history, my students' is the first to be less literate, which is completely unacceptable and defies every promise made by the more than $40 billion annual edtech grift. This is a worldwide problem with one clear and destructive culprit, and the dumpster fire that is the internet has only been enflamed by the gasoline that is AI.
The book is made especially for educators, is supported by a depth of quantitative and qualitative data, and includes tools and plans for helping change not just your classroom but your PLC, school, & district. It's been a great success and benefit for the past 1 1/2 years to switch class to physical pencil and paper only for most all assignments, and treat the internet/AI like nuclear energy - helpful under some extremely regulated circumstances, apocalyptic under most others.
December 31, 2025
Whether you are a teacher, principal, parent, district employee - anyone and everyone who oversees, mentors, or teaches children MUST read this book. I have always felt it was the moral imperative of adults to protect children from an increasingly digital world; this book just gave me the confidence, the language, and the data to fight for it.
Jonathan Haidt’s book sparked the conversation around social media - but Jared took it to the next level. As he often says - he’s done all the research so that we don’t have to. It brings qualitative and quantitative data that you CANNOT ignore and will give you the tools and practical strategies to act on both micro and macro levels: in your own home, in your classroom, or in your school. This isn’t about scrapping devices; it’s about reclaiming rigor in our classrooms and fighting for what we value in homes and schools: human connection and relationships - something technology will never offer.
Jonathan Haidt’s book sparked the conversation around social media - but Jared took it to the next level. As he often says - he’s done all the research so that we don’t have to. It brings qualitative and quantitative data that you CANNOT ignore and will give you the tools and practical strategies to act on both micro and macro levels: in your own home, in your classroom, or in your school. This isn’t about scrapping devices; it’s about reclaiming rigor in our classrooms and fighting for what we value in homes and schools: human connection and relationships - something technology will never offer.
January 21, 2026
Tout le monde qui travaille en éducation doit lire ce livre. Je trouve finalement des réponses à la question que je me pose depuis plusieurs années : Pourquoi les jeunes ont-ils de plus en plus de difficultés à l’école ? Il explique comment fonctionne le cerveau : comment il mémorise, apprend et réutilise ses connaissances.
Tous les enseignants doivent de familiariser avec la façon dont apprend le cerveau pour mieux servir ses élèves en leur offrant des expériences d’apprentissage efficaces.
J’ai trouvé difficile de constater que les messages qu’on nous « vendaient » dans les derniers 10-15 ans ont mené à cet échec de EdTech.
Retrouvons les méthodes éprouvées pour aider nos élèves à apprendre.
Il ne faut pas assumer que le progrès technologique est synonyme de progrès pédagogique.
Tous les enseignants doivent de familiariser avec la façon dont apprend le cerveau pour mieux servir ses élèves en leur offrant des expériences d’apprentissage efficaces.
J’ai trouvé difficile de constater que les messages qu’on nous « vendaient » dans les derniers 10-15 ans ont mené à cet échec de EdTech.
Retrouvons les méthodes éprouvées pour aider nos élèves à apprendre.
Il ne faut pas assumer que le progrès technologique est synonyme de progrès pédagogique.
December 22, 2025
If you enjoyed Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation” and you’re an educator or even a concerned parent that wants to know the educational ramifications of what technology has done, this book is for you.
I’m a 10 year teacher, and a 6 year school board member and my goal is to advocate for the policies mentioned in here. Our students have clearly gotten worse as it relates to academic results, behaviors, focus, and a multitude of other things.
The book presents the problems with data points, and ways to combat those that say technology gets students prepared or any other claim meant to gas light us from the truth we know.
This isn’t meant to be anti technology, but pro education. The book is one of the best I’ve ever read as it relates to education.
I’m a 10 year teacher, and a 6 year school board member and my goal is to advocate for the policies mentioned in here. Our students have clearly gotten worse as it relates to academic results, behaviors, focus, and a multitude of other things.
The book presents the problems with data points, and ways to combat those that say technology gets students prepared or any other claim meant to gas light us from the truth we know.
This isn’t meant to be anti technology, but pro education. The book is one of the best I’ve ever read as it relates to education.
January 2, 2026
An absolutely must-read, not just for anyone who cares about kids, but anyone who cares about our collective future. Jared Cooney Horvath has written an engaging, evidence-based review of the impact of “Ed Tech” in schools, going beyond the data showing the negative correlation between technology use and academic outcomes, to an explanation of why that is the case based on brain science. I will be giving a copy of this book to every member of our district’s Board of Education, our Superintendent, at a minimum. I urge everyone to do the same!
January 13, 2026
Excellent and important read for all teachers, parents, school board members, and school administrators.
This book offers detailed but concise explanations for how digital technology in classrooms has harmed student learning outcomes. The author is not anti-tech but rather is pro-learning.
There is very practical advice for all levels, from parents to teachers to school leaders/administrators.
This book offers detailed but concise explanations for how digital technology in classrooms has harmed student learning outcomes. The author is not anti-tech but rather is pro-learning.
There is very practical advice for all levels, from parents to teachers to school leaders/administrators.
January 21, 2026
One of the most important books out right now for parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about our future. Jared expresses views that are not anti-tech, but pro-learning and has the research to back it up.
The line that will stick with me most: “We are not adapting the tools to fit our kids—we are reshaping by our kids to fit the tools.” If that doesn’t give you pause, I don’t know what will.
The line that will stick with me most: “We are not adapting the tools to fit our kids—we are reshaping by our kids to fit the tools.” If that doesn’t give you pause, I don’t know what will.
January 19, 2026
This book is a must read for parents of K-12 students, teachers, and K-12 school administrators. It outlines how the use of EdTech in our classrooms over the past 15 years or so has handicapped our children’s ability to learn. We have all suspected it, and Dr. Horvath points us to how rhe damage occurs and ways to move schools beyond it.
January 23, 2026
I didn’t agree with everything in this book and there were a handful of sloppy grammar and labeling errors but overall this is a much needed book. I feel very fortunate that something like has been published when my son is still in grade 1 at a Montessori school that is very wary of tech and its tradeoffs.
February 4, 2026
Overall, a good read and an important one. The strength of this novel is the first third of it is rooted in research and argues for a return to common sense teaching approaches. I appreciate that the author is not advocating for eliminating all technology, but to use in intentional means.
One critique is the author's constant mention of Ed tech as an ill defined, societal boogey man.
One critique is the author's constant mention of Ed tech as an ill defined, societal boogey man.
December 20, 2025
A great follow to Anxious Generation and a must read for parents, teachers, and administrators. This was much quicker and less complex than Anxious Generation, so it could be good for a book study among parents and/or teachers.
December 20, 2025
Important book.
December 21, 2025
This is a great book for every educator an educational leader to read. At minimum it is an experience in cognitive dissonance for those embracing educational technology. This is a recommended read!
December 29, 2025
Every parent and educator should read this book!
January 2, 2026
As a teacher, I found this book thought provoking and informative.
January 27, 2026
All educators and parents should read this book and reevaluate the role of technology in our education system.
January 12, 2026
A must-read for educators.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews